I Was Called Mary Once
by rosie4299
Summary: When her daughter returns home from her first day at Chilton, Rory reminsces with her about her own time spent in those hallowed halls...


An Author's Ramblings- Hi Everyone! This is my very first GG story, and it is a stand alone fic. It's kind of my way of getting a handle on the characters, testing the waters, so to speak. I had this idea rolling around in my head a little while ago at work, and I just had to write it down! It will have a lot of flashbacks to the first season, unfortunately I don't own the DVD of season one yet, so I had to go and find them online. If there are any mistakes, I apologize. I hope that you enjoy, and please review!

A special thank you to the bestest beta ever, Sara, (Shouhei) you are awesome, you totally rock. She put up with all of my constant emails, and annoying questions. Her stories are fabulous, I adore 'But I Love Him' which is a Trory. She also writes Lits too, so check her stuff out, I promise, you won't be disappointed!

P.S.- I hope that this is obvious, but for those who are a little slow on the uptake, I do not own the Gilmore Girls, or Stars Hollow, or any of the crazy inhabitants that wormed their way into my heart and my story.

**

* * *

**

**I Was Called Mary Once**

"Mom!" Fifteen-year-old Lily called as she opened the front door of her house. "I'm home!" She dumped her backpack, which was crammed with books and homework, straining against the seams to the point that she feared that it would burst, onto the floor in the front hall. Silence greeted her. Quickly she looked into the sitting room, library, the music room, and her father's office before finally heading towards the kitchen, where, lo and behold, her mother was pacing in front of their brand new coffee maker, recently christened 'Bob' by her Grandmother.

Looking up, Rory grinned at her daughter. "Hi hon. How was your first day?"

Lily groaned, and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, her head hitting the smooth, dark wood. "I finally know why you called it 'hell' Mom." She mumbled, her face hidden behind a curtain of long, dark hair.

"Was it really that bad?" Rory asked, pouring two cups of coffee and joining her at the table. Lifting her head, Lily nodded. "What happened?"

"My classes are impossible, I kept getting lost, my locker officially hates me, and I bumped into this girl, Italia, and now she hates me, because she spilled her soda on her paper for English. Oh, yeah, and some jerk who is in almost all of my classes can't seem to get my name right!" She sighed, and gulped her coffee, letting the scalding liquid soothe some of the frustration of the day away.

Rory smiled, and rubbed her back sympathetically. "Is that all?" She tried to joke, but bit back her laughter at the exasperated expression on her daughter's face. "Sounds a lot like my first day at Chilton."

"I bet people at least took the time to learn your real name."

Rory smirked. "You might be surprised. What exactly did this jerk call you?"

"Mary. I kept telling him that my name was Lily, but no, he couldn't be bothered with getting it right. Mom! Stop laughing at me!" Lily said, getting annoyed. "Why do you mock my pain?"

"Sorry, sweetie, I'll stop." Rory promised, a smile still playing on her lips. "And just for the record, I'm not laughing at you. I just can't believe that kids are still using that nickname."

"What do you mean?"

"I was called Mary once." Rory began to explain. Lily cocked her head to one side as she stared at her mother, who had a funny look on her face.

"So, it's a nickname?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah. It means that you're innocent, untouched. Like the Virgin Mary."

"So it's a biblical insult? I thought that this was supposed to be a good school, with smart kids." Lily rolled her eyes, pouring another cup of coffee from 'Bob.' "So, they called you Mary too, back in the day?"

"Yeah, back when little children were stoned to death for making their parents sound old." Rory said sarcastically. "But yes, I was called Mary when I went to school."

_"Hey, Mary," a voice came from behind Rory. _

_She looks around. "Me?"_

_"Yeah, you."_

_"My name is Rory."_

_"I'm Tristan."_

_"Hi."_

_"So, you new?"_

_"Remmy's class is tough."_

_"Yeah, it seemed very intense."_

_"I could loan you my notes, if that would help."_

_"Really? That'd be great."_

_"Yeah? How great?" He asked her, walking forward, backing her up against the wall._

_"I don't know. Mr. Remmy said that getting someone's notes would be..." Rory trails off, unnerved by his closeness to her._

_"I could even help you study. If you want." He offers, getting even closer._

_Rory swallows, trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in her stomach. "Uh, I kind of view studying as a solitary activity. But thanks."_

_He smirks at her. "Bye, Mary." He says, before walking off._

_"It's Rory." She states, to no one in particular._

"It went on all day. He was in nearly every single class I had. And in every one, whenever the teacher would introduce me, he would call me Mary." Rory told her daughter. "And it didn't end there. For months, it was, 'Mary' this, and 'Mary' that."

"He sounds a lot like Carter Hammond." Lily said. "What is his problem, anyway? I mean, he doesn't even know me. I really want to smack that smirk right off his face."

"That sounds extremely familiar."

"So, did you ever snap?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Rory said, getting another faraway look in her eyes. "I had come to Chilton over a month late, and was really behind in my English class, and I got a D on one of my papers, so your Grandma and I stayed up really late studying for my Shakespeare exam. I woke up late the morning of the test, and a deer hit me on the way to school, and-,"

"Wait, you mean you hit a deer, right?"

"No."

"I don't get it."

"It's not a hard concept to grasp. I got hit by a deer."

"I still don't get it."

"We're getting sidetracked."

"How does one go about getting hit by a deer anyway?"

"Enough with the deer already!" Rory exclaimed.

"Okay, okay." Lily held up her hands in retreat. "Geez, I was just asking. No need to bite my head off."

"Anyway," Rory resumed, "I was running extremely late, and arrived after the bell, so Mr. Medina wouldn't let me take the test, and I kind of lost it."

_"Okay, okay," Mr. Medina said, trying to calm her. "You have to calm down now." _

_"I know his birthday and his mother's name and that kind of-," Rory says, beginning to lose it._

_"Loser." She heard, and turned her head in Paris' direction._

_Something in Rory just snapped. "And just what is wrong with you huh?! You already have_

_everything! You already have the grades and the status. What the hell is wrong with you that you have this constant need to be the biggest jerk in the entire world?!"_

_"Ok, let's go." Mr. Medina said, pulling her towards the door._

_"Huh?! What's up quippy?! Why so silent?" Rory said, not ready to leave just yet._

_"Outside - now." Mr. Medina commanded. But as she is walking to the door, she passes Tristan, who was smiling, and she can't resist._

_"And for the last time - the name's RORY!"_

"Oh, my God!" Lily exclaimed. "You yelled at Aunt Paris? And she didn't kill you?"

"I think she was in shock."

"But wait. Why were you yelling at her? You guys are so close."

"Now we are, but back in our Chilton days, a lot of things were different."

"Apparently."

"Oh, look at the time." Rory said, looking at the Hello Kitty clock next to the refrigerator. "We have to get going, or we're not going to have enough time to stop at Luke's before the soccer game."

"Why do we have to go to this again?" Lily groaned. "I mean, sports, they're just so, exhausting."

"Come on." Rory coaxed, pulling her up from her chair. "We have to go to the soccer game because your brothers' are playing. Look on the bright side, at least you just have to watch it."

"Fine." Lily grumbled. "I guess it could be worse. Well, I'm going to change out of this stupid, individuality suppressing uniform before we go, okay?" She said, walking towards the back stairwell off of the kitchen.

"You have five minutes, and if you're not down here, I'm going to leave without you and tell your Grandpa not to give you any more coffee!"

Lily gave her mother a look of horror, and ran as quickly as she could up the stairs.

Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, Lily ran down the stairs, to the front door, where her mother was waiting for her, watching the seconds tick by on her watch.

"Done with twenty three seconds to spare." Rory said, looking impressed. "Not bad."

"You've got to be kidding me." Lily said, grasping the railing for support as she caught her breath. "I just accomplished the impossible, and all you've got is 'Not bad'?!?"

"First of all, you just got dressed in less than five minutes, you proved that it is quite possible, Dear Daughter." Rory stated, pulling her out the door. "And second, why do you feel that you need to be praised all of the time? A simple pat on the back isn't good enough anymore?"

"But Mommy Dearest, there was no pat on the back. Not even a 'good job.' Just a 'not bad'." Lily countered, linking her arm with Rory's as they walked down the street to town.

"Aww, poor baby." Rory giggled. "Is your life that tough?"

"Yes."

"It is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Okay, enough." Rory said, holding out her hand. "Truce?"

Lily shook it. "Truce."

They walked along for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. "So when is Daddy getting back?" Lily asked. He had been on a business trip all week, and was supposed to be flying home later that day.

"He should be home sometime after dinner." Rory answered, glad that he would be back where he belonged in a few hours. She didn't sleep very well when he was gone, hating the loneliness that she felt in his absence.

"I miss him."

"Me too."

"So I guess that this means that we'll be eating at the diner again later?" Lily asked.

"Yes, why? Would you like to cook?"

"God no."

"Oh, good. We're almost there. I need a caffeine fix. I think I'm going through withdrawal."

"Mom, seriously, it's been like fifteen minutes since your last cup."

"What's your point?" Rory asked, as they rounded the corner, with Luke's in sight.

"I don't think that you can get withdrawal symptoms from going less than half an hour without coffee."

"I disagree." Rory countered, pulling the door open.

"Mini Me!" Lorelai cried out as they entered the diner. "And you brought my favorite female granddaughter with you!"

"Isn't that redundant?" Lily asked, as she and Rory took seats next to Lorelai. "I mean, doesn't the fact that I'm your granddaughter mean that I'm also female?"

"Plus, she is your only granddaughter, so she kind of has to be the favorite, don't you agree mom?"

"Yes, she is my only granddaughter. I only have one." Lorelai sighed dramatically.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Geez, give a woman four grandchildren, and she's still not happy!"

"Yes. But the other three are boys. I have no use for boys. They cannot carry on the family name." Lorelai argued.

"Mom, the family name is Gilmore, not Lorelai. And will you stop it with the guilt? It's been fifteen years!" Rory said, giving her mother a look.

"Never!" Lorelai said with a fake British accent. "I will never let you forget how you betrayed the Lorelais that came before you!"

"Mom, seriously, there's just you and Great Gran, and I don't really think that she'll care, considering she's been dead for practically twenty years!"

"Ah, but as the reigning Lorelai, I command you to feel guilty for all eternity!"

"Lorelai, cut the crap." Luke grumbled as he came out of the back room. "Geez, you have this conversation every time you see each other. Let it go!"

"Hey! I didn't marry you so that you could tell me what to do!" Lorelai cried out, jumping from her stool to grab the fresh coffee pot from behind the counter.

"Then why did you marry me?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"For your body, of course." She grinned, attempting to drink out of the coffee pot, before Rory wrestled it from her grasp.

"Ew!" Lily said, making a face. "Grandma, seriously, WAY, WAY, WAY, too much information."

"So, how did your first day go, kiddo?" Lorelai asked, taking a sip from the oversized mug of coffee that Luke had placed in front of her.

"Horrid, abysmal, bleak." She said, her forehead hitting the countertop.

"So, not well, I take it?"

Lily glared at her.

"Let's just say, she's following in my footsteps, Mom." Rory explained. "She is officially a Mary now."

"Oh, really?" Lorelai chuckled. "Interesting."

"Mom has been telling me about her Chilton days. She says that a lot of things were different, like she and Aunt Paris used to hate each other." Lily told her, gulping down her boat sized cup of coffee in a fashion that made both her mother and her grandmother very proud. "So, Mom, what did the jerk do to you next?"

"He kept hitting on me and asking me out. I think he was attempting to corrupt me."

"No, you think?" Lorelai added sarcastically. "He was trying his damnedest to turn my little Mary into a Magdalene."

"Okay, what is up with all the references to the bible?" Lily asked. "Is this what happens to you if you go to Chilton? Cause if so, pull me out right now. I don't need to go to Princeton that badly."

"Okay, you are going to Chilton, I don't care what biblical analogies that you end up making." Rory told her firmly. "It took a long time to convince your father to let you go, and I'm not going to let you quit after I put in all those long hours of arguing and bargaining."

"So, where did you leave off in the soap opera?" Lorelai asked, changing the subject. "Has anyone been killed by the serial killer yet?"

"Mom, focus. This is reality, not some weird storyline from 'Days of Our Lives." Rory said. "I think I was just about to get to the dance."

"Ooh, the good part!" Lorelai joked. "Luke, we need some popcorn!"

_"And she's reading again. How novel." _

_Rory looked up. "Goodbye, Tristan."_

_"Did you get the novel thing? Because-,"_

_"I said goodbye." She said, trying to get back to her book._

_"What are you doing here?"_

_"I like lines." She stated._

_"The guy is supposed to buy the tickets."_

_"Really? Does Susan Faludi know about this?"_

_"Unless of course there is no guy," Tristan leered._

_"No, there's a guy."_

_"A cheap guy."_

_"Well, what can I say? I like 'em cheap. Sloppy, too. Bald spot. Beer gut. You know, the pants that slip down in the back giving you the good plumber shot? That just sends me through the roof." Rory said sarcasm dripping from her voice._

_"So, who is he?"_

_"Wow. How many languages can you say none of your business in?"_

_"Well, does he go to this school?" Tristan asked. Rory shook her head_

_"Uh huh. Well, okay, I'll confess something to you. I don't have a date."_

_"Well, I hear Squeaky Fromme's up for parole soon. You should keep a good thought."_

_"I actually thought maybe you'd like to go with me."_

_"You did not."_

_"I did too!" Tristan shot back._

_"You did not, because you are not stupid." Rory told him._

_"Why, thank you."_

_"Slimy and weaselly, yes. But stupid, no. And you'd have to be stupid to think that, given our history, I would ever, barring a safe or a piano falling on my head, want to go to anything with you. Ever."_

_"Okay, fine. I'll take Sissy."_

_"I'll send her a condolence card." Rory said._

_"Yeah. Well, at least she won't be buying her own ticket."_

"Ew. What a slime ball." Lily said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh it gets better. At the dance, he gets into a fight with my boyfriend."

"What a slime ball." Lily repeated.

"Yeah, what a slime ball." Lorelai mimicked, unable to contain her laughter.

"Mother, please, could you try to contain your amusement a bit? People are starting to stare." Rory informed Lorelai, who, just as her daughter had told her, was getting some strange looks from the townsfolk who were in the diner.

"Oh, no! I'm attracting attention!" Lorelai swooned. "I am so embarrassed!"

"Whatever you say Mom."

Looking at her watch, Lily sighed. "I guess we have to get going. The soccer game starts in like ten minutes."

"Oh!" Lorelai exclaimed. "That doesn't give us much time to get good seats. Why, oh why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Why, oh why don't you just buy a watch?" Lily countered.

"Because, dear granddaughter of mine, then I wouldn't have the pleasure of annoying others for the time." She explained. "They tend to not want to tell you what time it is if you are wearing a watch."

"If you say so."

"I do say so."

"Here." Luke said gruffly, pushing two drink holders of coffee at them. "That should last you to half time."

"But Luke, that is only eight cups!" Lorelai looked shocked. "That means that the young one will only have two!"

"Hey! How come I get jipped?"

"Because, my darling daughter, I deserve that coffee for the thirty one hours of grueling labor that I went through with you."

"What about Grandma?"

"Do you really want to take her on? Is one coffee really worth it?"

"Rory! Did I just hear you correctly? Did you actually say that coffee isn't worth it? That an extra large cup of my Lukie's coffee isn't worth it?" Lorelai asked indignantly.

"Oh, for the love of Pete!" Luke groaned, pulling out four more to go cups. "There. That makes it even. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, extremely." Lorelai said, when she suddenly got very serious. "But who is Pete?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Pete. You mentioned him, just now in fact. And why are you so interested in getting his love, anyway? Is there something I should know?"

"God! You are so infuriating!"

"I would normally say that you love me anyway, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe this Pete has pushed me out of your heart." She said, wiping away an imaginary tear.

"Come on Lily." Rory said, picking up one of the three trays. "Let's escape the insanity that you more commonly refer to as 'Grandma'."

"I heard that!"

"You were supposed to!"

"You know that you have about four minutes until the game starts, right?" Luke reminded them, pointing at the clock.

"Yikes! We better get going." Lorelai said. "Okay, everyone have their coffee?"

"As long as you have the important things right?"

"Shut up, Pete-lover!"

"Lorelai!" Luke sighed, crossing his arms.

"If I promise to stop, will you send more coffee later?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

"I'll think about it."

"Yippee!"

The three hurried down the road to the school, careful not to go too fast, as they didn't want to spill the elixir of life. The soccer field was packed with parents and supporters from Stars Hollow, and the nearby town of Reed Glen. The summer league that Rory's three sons were a part of was coming to a close, and James, along with the twins Noah and Aidan, was playing for the championship against the Reed Glen Robins. If they won, it would be the first time in four years that the Stars Hollow Buttercups won the trophy and the bragging rights for the rest of the year.

"Remind me again why we had to come?" Lily whined, maneuvering her way to the top of the bleachers.

"Because, my child, we now get to watch your beloved grandmother act like an insane, dippy, ditzy, middle aged cheerleader!" Rory explained cheerfully plucking one of her coffees from the holder on her lap.

"Hey!" Lorelai glared at Rory. "I resent that! I am not a cheerleader!

"Mother, you have pom poms sticking out of your bag!" Rory pointed at her mother's large purse, where, sure enough two fluffy blue and silver pom poms were peeking out over the rim.

"Just because I have pom poms doesn't mean that I am a cheerleader."

"Then why do you have them?"

"They could be my new earrings. The oversized dangly look is coming back. I read it in Cosmo last week." Lorelai grinned, proud to come up with a semi plausible explanation so quickly.

"And just where do you come up with this stuff Grandma?"

"I would tell you, my dear, but then I'd have to kill you."

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls!" Kirk's voice crackled over the loudspeaker. He was the official sports commentator for all Stars Hollow athletic events. The reason was completely unknown, for Kirk didn't know anything about sports of any kind. "Welcome to the most exciting game of the season! The Stars Hollow Buttercups will be taking on their archrivals, the Reed's Glen Robins!"

The crowd cheered loudly as he continued. "The last time they met, the Robins narrowly defeated the Buttercups by one point. Will they defend their title, or will the Buttercups even the score?"

"That was a cheap shot last time." Lily said. "I mean, I still don't believe that that big kid they have playing forward is twelve. I mean, he is twice as big as James is!"

"Yeah, I heard that Taylor hired a private investigator to check him out." Lorelai giggled.

"Did he really?"

"Yep!"

"Aw, look, my baby looks so adorable!" Lorelai exclaimed, as she finally spotted Will. "He looks so official, with his clipboard and whistle!"

"Yeah, he really has done a good job as coach this year. Much better than Taylor was." Rory agreed, glancing down the field, where the team was huddled together around her eighteen year old brother.

"Like that's hard to do." Lily commented sarcastically. "I mean, Taylor was horrible. He was the reason why they have done so horribly the last few years. It's a good thing that Good ol' Willy stepped in this year, or we would have lost again."

"Yeah, I don't know what they are going to do when he goes to U Conn next year." Lorelai said, finishing her first cup.

"Let's face it, this is the last year that we have a chance at winning. Unless someone else steps in, Taylor is going to weasel his way back into the coaching position."

"Ms. Patty would be better a better coach than Taylor!"

"Lils, you are delusional. Ms. Patty knows nothing about soccer. I doubt the woman has ever played."

"But she must have slept with at least one soccer player in her life. Maybe they imparted some philosophies and wisdom about the game when they left in the morning."

"Lillian Victoria! Where is a bar of soap when you need it?" Rory looked a little shocked. "Maybe you have a little Magdalene in you already."

"Ooh, that reminds me." Lily said, turning to her mom. "What happened after the dance? Was that jerk still mean to you?"

"That was when it really got interesting!" Lorelai leaned forward to talk around Rory. "He started the staring."

"The what?"

"The staring."

"You mean he started to just glance in her direction once in a while, or did he like ogle her every chance he got?"

"Ogled her." Lorelai answered. "She came home one day mortified. He got caught by a teacher, and she was so embarrassed."

"Hey! SHE is sitting right next to you, you know."

"I'm sorry, did you want to tell it?"

_"What is so fascinating Mr. Dugrey?" Ms. Caldecott asked, halting her lecture to address the student who wasn't paying attention. _

_"Uh, nothing Ms. Caldecott."_

_"Nothing, Mr. Dugrey?"_

_"My notes - my notes are fascinating Ms. Caldecott."_

_"Yes they are fascinating Mr. Dugrey. As I was saying, the pro and con teams will each have two minutes and 30 seconds for introductions, six minutes to debate, three minutes for conclusions and five minutes for questions from the audience. The winner shall be decided by a hand count from the rest of the class. Does that sound like fun Mr. Dugrey?" She asked again, noticing that he wasn't focused on the assignment she was explaining._

_"What?"_

_"The debate. Does it sound like fun?"_

_"Yes, it does."_

_"It does, doesn't it Mr. Dugrey?"_

_"More fun than staring at Miss Gilmore's ear?" She asked, giving him a look._

_"Yes Ms. Caldecott."_

"I was so embarrassed!" Rory said, blushing at the memory. "I wanted to melt into the marble floors, or suddenly become invisible or something!"

"So he really just stared at you?"

"All the time. It was so annoying."

"Oh, please."

"What."

"You loved it." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You liked the attention."

"I did not!"

"You did, too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Children, settle, settle!" Lily said, silencing the two adults. "Geez, and you say that Daddy is immature."

"What does that mean?"

"I think you know what it means." Lily answered.

"Do I?"

"Yes, you do."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Ladies!" Taylor called over to them. He was wearing his black and white referee uniform, and gesturing to them. "People came here to watch the soccer game, not to hear you argue! Don't make me ask you to leave."

"I'd like to see you try, Doose!" Lorelai stood up, puffing out her chest and looking very intimidating.

"Just keep it down, alright?" Taylor said, looking a little scared.

"Fine, I think we can do that. But I make no promises. After all, I only have two cups of coffee left, and there is still a half an hour left 'til I get more!" Lorelai laughed as he went back to the game, which had carried on quite well in his absence. The score was still 0-0, but the Buttercups had recaptured the ball, and the goliath-sized Robin forward seemed to be getting a little winded.

"It seems so weird that you had this jerk following you around and tormenting you, and now I have a jerk following me around and tormenting me. I guess history really does repeat itself." Lily commented.

"Yeah, I guess that it is funny." Rory agreed. "I wonder how much history repeats. I mean-,"

"Rory! Lorelai! Lily!" They all turned simultaneously to see Ms. Patty walking towards them, waving. "I was hoping I would see you."

"Hey Patty." Lorelai greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for the game, of course!" She answered, pushing a few people out of the way to sit in the row in front of the three. "My, my, Lorelai. That son of yours looks quite delectable today. Luke definitely passed on his delicious genetic material to the next generation, didn't he?"

"Patty!" Lorelai cried, though she wasn't shocked. Ms. Patty had been saying things like that for years.

"Ooh, there's Babette. I think I'll go and say hello!" Patty said, vacating the seat she had taken only minutes before. "I'll see you girls later."

"Okay, now I know that she's man crazy, but come on!" Rory looked a little disgusted, yet more amused. "Will has like, just barely shed his jailbait status, and she's already trying to snag him!"

"I know, it's a little creepy." Lily commented, frowning as she finished her third coffee. "But what can you do, that's just the way she is."

"And we love her for it."

For the first time since it began, they turned their attention to the game. Noah was kicking the ball down the field, heading towards the Robin's goal. He dodged around one defender, and kicked the ball to his twin, Aidan, who had materialized out of nowhere to score the first goal of the game.

The Stars Hollow crowd cheered. Lorelai grabbed her pom poms, and waved them, trying to get down from the packed bleachers to do a little cheer.

"And Noah, no, Aidan, no, wait!" Kirk's agitated voice came crackling through the loudspeaker. "One of them passed to the other, and then the other one kicked it in to the net, no the goal thingy..."

"How did Kirk get this job anyway?" Lily asked. "He knows less about sports than we do, shouldn't he have learned something by now?"

"Some mysteries are better left unsolved. Kirk is one of them." Rory informed her daughter, completely serious. "I don't care, my baby just scored a goal!"

"He's hardly a baby, Mom. Noah and Aidan are ten."

"So?"

"At ten, they aren't babies anymore, and would probably be mortified if you refer to them as such in front of their teammates, wouldn't you agree?"

"Probably."

"Does that mean that I'm right, and you just don't want to admit it?"

"Probably."

"Okay, new subject." Lily decided, wistfully downing her last sip. "So what happened next?"

"When?"

"At Chilton! With the jerk?" Lily reminded her. "Hello, what have we been talking about all day?"

_"Tristan stop it." Summer said, looking annoyed. _

"You're making me chase you around the whole party."

"Just trying to have fun." "Ok you won't talk to me, you won't dance with me, why the hell did you even come with me?!" He asked, irritated at the situation.

"Stop yelling."

"Summer please. Can we just go?"

"No."

"Please."

"No. I'm sick of fighting with you. I'm sick of hearing 20 times a day 'You're my girlfriend'." Summer yelled attracting some attention from the other partygoers.

"Ok could we possibly do this somewhere were a roomful of people aren't staring at us?"

"I think we should break up."

"Ok, I really want to go outside and talk about this." Tristan said, trying to get her to leave the crowded room.

"Then go, bye." Summer turned and walked out, leaving Tristan standing there, a little dumbfounded by the whole situation. He looks around, and sees Rory watching him, but she averts her gaze back down to her book. Frustrated, he leaves.

"So she just sent him packing in the middle of a party?" Lily laughed. "That's awesome! He totally got what he deserved."

"The story isn't over yet."

"Right, sorry."

_"Oh sorry." Rory apologized. She had been looking for a quiet place to read, and stumbled onto _

_Tristan, sitting all alone at a piano._

_"No problem."_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"About what?" He asked, confused._

_"About you and Summer."_

_"I don't want to talk about Summer."_

_"Ok. How'd you do on that biology test?" She asked._

_"What?"_

_"The test. It was hard, wasn't it?"_

_"Yeah, it was hard."_

_"I got a B."_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Talking about the test."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you didn't want to talk about Summer."_

_"I don't."_

_"Ok, so I moved to biology. Sorry did you want to talk about Spanish?"_

_"You just loved it, didn't you?"_

_"Loved what?"_

_"Seeing me get nailed like that. Must have been a great moment."_

_"Not really." Rory said._

_"Please. You loved it, she loved it, everybody loved it."_

_"I didn't love it."_

_"I really liked her too." He said, sad._

_"Yeah, I know."_

_"So where's your boyfriend tonight?"_

_"He's... not my boyfriend anymore." She looked down, remembering the night before._

_"Why not?"_

_"He didn't want to be."_

_"Idiot."_

_"So's Summer."_

_"Do you think you two will get back together?" He asked._

_"He was pretty set in his decision."_

_"When did it happen?"_

_"Yesterday."_

_"Wow."_

_"It was our three month anniversary."_

_"That sucks."_

_"Yeah it does suck. Do you think you guys will?" She asked, referring to him and Summer._

_"No, no, no, no, no, no, no."_

_"So, no?"_

_"No. Hey, I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time for a while."_

_"Oh, that's okay."_

_"It is?" He looked surprised._

_"Well, no. But you're sad."_

_"Yeah, well. I am sorry."_

_"I accept your apology."_

_"Oh, man. It's a great party, huh?" He smiled a little._

_"Yeah not bad. It gave me a chance to catch up on my reading."_

_"You are very odd, you know that?"_

_"Thank you."_

_"You're welcome." He says, leaning forward, looking into her eyes before their lips met. When he pulled away, he sees that she is crying. "I'm sorry, what did I do? Did I bite your lip or something?" He asked her._

_Rory shook her head, getting up from the piano bench. "No it's not you. It's just - I have to go." She says, running from the room, tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving him completely dumbfounded._

"Oh, my God!" Lorelai yelled as she took her seat next to Rory. "You told her the best part of the story without me?"

"Hey, you left, with pompoms I might add, to go and dance around like a cheerleader from that 'Hey, Mickey' video."

"But I wouldn't have if I had known you were going to go through the best part of the story without me!" Lorelai pouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I can't believe that you did that Mom!" Lily sat, shocked. "I can't believe that you kissed that jerk!"

"It's not like I planned to do it." Rory tried to explain. "I didn't wake up that morning and say to myself, I'm going to make out with my sworn enemy. It just happened."

"But he was a jerk!" Lily exclaimed, ignoring the look she received from Taylor.

At this, Lorelai started to laugh hysterically. "What?" Lily asked, wondering what had sent her grandma into this giggly fit.

"It's just so funny." Lorelai choked out. "You keep calling him a jerk, and a slime ball."

"What else am I supposed to call him?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about Daddy?"

"What?" Lily asked, not getting it.

"Good God, you got your mother's ineptness for seeing what is right in front of you!" Lorelai looked at her, throwing her arms up in the air. "You know that your Dad went to Chilton, right?"

"Yeah, but he was only there for a little while, before he went to Pennington Military Academy down in North Carolina." Then understanding washed over her. "Dad... Chilton... Mary... Oh, My, God! Mother, how could you have just now told me this!"

"Well, to be accurate, your Grandma told you that, not me."

"That is completely beside the point!"

"How come you and Daddy never told us this?" Lily asked.

"You never asked." Rory answered simply. "I swear, you and your dad are completely N.I.D."

"I'm what?"

"N.I.D. Not into details. Seriously, were you paying any attention when I taught you about classic films?"

"I highly doubt that 'The Wedding Planner' will ever be considered a classic film." Lily said sarcastically. "But seriously, how come we never heard about any of this stuff before?"

"Because, it was a long time ago." Rory said. "Your dad and I saw each other again when I was a sophomore at Yale, and fell in love. He was different than the boy that used to torment me. Tristan was more mature, and military school had taught him some respect."

"Not to mention that it gave him a killer body."

"Mother!" Rory exclaimed, covering Lily's ears. "Seriously, he's your son- in-law."

"Yes, but what do you think I am, blind?"

"Mom, you're messing up my hair!" Lily complained, trying to pry her mother's fingers from her skull.

"Sorry. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. I'm just a little shocked. I mean, it's not everyday that you learn that your parents had lives before you were born."

"Thanks." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Ack!" Lorelai cried out, turning her final cup upside down, shaking it in frustration. "There's no more! What will I do? What will I drink?" She sniffed the air. "Wait, do I smell what I think I smell?" They turned around, and grinned, as they saw Luke a few yards away, holding another holder of coffees.

"Here." He handed her the holder. "I didn't want you to kill anyone coming off of a caffeine high. But that's all you get. No more."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. And the Pope is Catholic."

"Grandma, the Pope is Catholic.

"Oh, no! Does that mean that this really is my last coffee?" She worried her bottom lip, a look of fear in her eyes. "Luke, I didn't know what I was saying. I went a whole five minutes without coffee, I can't be responsible for anything that came out of my mouth."

"Hey, you were the one who said it, not me."

"Isn't there anything that I can do to change my fate?"

"Well, something does come to mind."

"Oh really?"

"Really." He smiled slightly at her. "We'll discuss it later, at home."

"Sounds like a plan." He left, going back to the diner, where they would meet back at for dinner after the game was over.

"I just realized something." Lorelai said, handing a cup to both Rory and Lily. "There are four cups here, and three of us. That means that one of us is going to have to kill the other two for this delicious beverage."

"Or I could just drink it." A voice from the end of the bleachers said, causing them to all turn around.

"Tristan!" Rory exclaimed, leaping from her seat and into his arms in seconds. "What are you doing here?"

"How could I miss three of my children winning the championship soccer game?" He smiled, kissing her soundly. "I got an earlier flight."

"Well, it does help when you're flying on a private jet." She joked, hugging him as he set her back on the ground. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Hey Daddy!" Lily greeted him as she climbed down from the bleachers.

"Hey Princess!" Tristan hugged her. "So how was the first day?"

"Apparently, it was a lot like Mom's."

"Oh, really?"

"Really. She has been telling me all about it today."

"Oh, really?" Tristan repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, shetold me all abouthow hard the classes were."

"Oh, really? What else did she tell you?"

"She told me that she and Aunt Paris used to be enemies, and how she nearly failed a test because she hit a deer on the way to school-,"

"Hey! That deer hit me, not the other way around!"

"Not the point. She also told me just how much of a schmuck you used to be, Daddy."

"Oh, she did, did she?"

"Yeah, but don't worry. She also told me that at military school that they beat all of the annoying qualities right out of you." Lily smiled. "So, what'd you get me?"

"Now what makes you think that I got you anything?" He joked.

"Because you always do."

"That doesn't mean that you should always expect a present."

"Actually, that's exactly what it means." Lily told him, grinning. "So, where is it?"

"It's at home, in my suitcase."

"What is it?"

"My lips are sealed." He smirked.

They squished back into their seats, Tristan between Rory, who had her head resting contentedly against his shoulder, and Lily, who was firing questions at him rapidly.

"Is it smaller than a breadbox?"

"If it were bigger than a breadbox, it wouldn't have fit in my suitcase, now would it?"

"Can it breathe on it's own?"

"How in the world would I have gotten a breathing gift through customs?"

"I'm sure that if anyone could, you would find a way, Dad."

**--&--**

"So, you really told her all about those good old days at Chilton?" Tristan asked her as they got into bed later that night.

"I would hardly call those the 'good old days', Tristan." Rory answered, her head on his chest. The boys had won the soccer game, the score had stayed 1-0, and had each spent a great deal of time recounting the excitement of the game to Tristan over dinner at Luke's. Lily was entranced by her first edition of 'A Little Princess' that he had brought back for her from London. "You did make my life miserable, you know."

"I was in love with you, and didn't know how to handle it."

"Yeah, right."

"I did. I even told you, but you weren't ready to hear it yet."

"You did not!"

"I did too!"

_"Okay, I gotta tell you something. I'm madly in love with you." _

_"Well, good luck with that" Rory said, trying to move past him._

_"I can't eat, I can't sleep... I wake up in the middle of the night calling out your name. Rory, Rory!"_

"You are so full of it, Tristan." Rory rolled her eyes.

"I am not." He informed her, stroking her long silky hair with his fingers. "So, how did all this stuff come up, anyway?"

"Well, apparently, your daughter is the new 'Mary' at Chilton."

"Oh, God." Tristan groaned, putting a hand over his eyes.

"Karma is a bitch, baby." She giggled, tracing the lines of his abdominal muscles with her fingertips. Even after all these years, he was as handsome as he ever was. "What goes around comes around."

"Should I be worried?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether or not this boy gets sent to military school."

* * *

Well, there you have it! My very first Gilmore Girls fic is finally finished! I am currently developing the prequel for this story, so be on the lookout! I hope that you liked my story, I had a blast writing it, so please, review, and let me know what you think! 


End file.
